


The Pros and Cons of Time Travel

by Sporadic_fics



Series: Winterhawk Bingo 2019-2020 [6]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Established Relationship, Grieving, M/M, Multi, New Relationship, Time Travel, ameriwinterhawk - Freeform, endgame fix it fic, hurting, steve - Freeform, winterhawk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22120249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sporadic_fics/pseuds/Sporadic_fics
Summary: Winterhawk Bingo square- Time Travel
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton/Steve Rogers
Series: Winterhawk Bingo 2019-2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1571671
Kudos: 12
Collections: Winterhawk Bingo





	1. Time Travel

**Author's Note:**

> Winterhawk Bingo square- Time Travel

Bucky loved time travel in movies, TV shows and even books but time travel in real life was awful. He had to watch his best friend stand on a machine ready to travel back in time, in some way Bucky was jealous as he had loved time travel so much but his worry for Steve took over that. Steve’s hands had a small tremble to them as Bruce clicked away at buttons to send him back in time in order to send the infinity stones back and Bucky couldn't help but have the urge to hug his friend close and not let him go.

Steve looked fine though, he was smiling at Bucky, Sam and Clint and then he was gone. He should have been back within seconds but he wasn’t and Bucky could feel his stomach sink as Clint squeezed his hand. Sam sank to his knees when it had gone past thirty minutes of no return and Bucky was shaking in Clint’s arms. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to come back within seconds but he didn't and everyone at the time machine knew that something had gone terribly wrong.

That had been months ago and as time went by, Bucky slowly started to stop hurting and stop thinking about what could have possibly to Steve. Everyone knew that he missed him, but that was expected and Clint was there for him just like Bucky was there for him and his loss of Natasha.

Bruce couldn’t look the team in the eye anymore, too consumed with the guilt of losing Steve, they had all tried to reassure Bruce but he heard nothing of them and carried on trying to fix the machine.

Bucky often had dreams that he had been swallowed by a machine and would be spat out in random places at random times. Sometimes Steve was there, right in front of him but he never saw or heard Bucky and Bucky would be reminded of the hollow feeling he had first felt when Steve did not return. Most times though, Bucky would call out for help, begging anyone to save him. More often than not, it was Clint he called out for and Clint was there by his side, kissing his cheek and holding him tight.

Bucky would end up staying in Clint’s arms, his chest heaving but sometimes he would make his way to the range that was in the new Avengers compound. He would shoot and shoot until he couldn’t stand any longer, his body crumpling to the floor.

The anger and worry did help Bucky during missions though, he channelled it all into fighting the bad guys. His aim was sharper, he was more ruthless and more efficient. It came in handy for their missions but Clint knew that eventually, Bucky would burn out.

Bucky did end up burning out, his sleep to busy focusing on the pros and cons of time travel, his appetite dwindling into nothing so he barely ate and had no energy and then one day, when they were watching an episode of Dr Who (a series that Bucky adored), Bucky just couldn’t stop crying. It finally sank in that his friend wouldn’t be coming back, that he wouldn’t get a moment where his friend sent him a message of himself from another universe.

No one said anything, especially when Rhodey was crying from the episode as well, but Clint and Sam held onto him tighter than ever and just let him sob over the friend he had lost.


	2. Steve Rogers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steve Rogers square for Winterhawk bingo (this fill also makes a bingo for me!)

Red lights flashed around the room with a loud siren screeching through the building. It was the alarm for an attack on the compound so both Clint and Bucky grabbed the weapons they had under their bed and made their way to the rendezvous point.  As the pair got closer to the checkpoint, Bucky couldn’t breathe. It was as if all of the oxygen in the world had gone and Bucky was struggling because of it. 

“What’s wrong?” Clint had his forehead against Bucky’s so he could try and ground him.

“I don’t know. Something just doesn’t feel right.” Bucky panted out his words, eyes clenched shut as he tried to focus on what it was that made him feel so on edge.

Clint was by his side, his hand on Bucky’s face trying to calm him down, when Scott Lang came running in, panic covering his face.

“Do you two feel that as well?”

Clint nodded, his eyes wide as he felt electricity crackle through the air. “Is Thor having a tantrum or something?”

“No, its the time machine that Bruce built- it’s going crazy.” Scott was starting to walk away so Clint followed him, dragging a still panicking Bucky with him. “Hope, Hank and Janet are trying to sort it out but we don’t know what is going on.”

The remaining Avengers crowded around the machine that was giving off harsh sparks of light. Everyone was behind Rhodey who had put up a large shield to protect them from any offshoots of electricity.

The Pym family were discussing what was happening with a very stressed Bruce while everyone looked on in confusion. Bruce had been trying for months to get it to work and to bring Steve back but he hadn’t succeeded and the Avengers ended up having to take the machine away from Bruce so he could sleep.

It had been over a year since the machine had last been in use which meant it had been over a year since Steve had gone. So imagine Bucky’s surprise as the machine clanked and looked like it was about to fall apart when Steve landed on the bottom of the machine, his back to the Avengers, his body shaking and his gasps of surprise audible even from the distance between the machine and the group.

“Steve.” Bucky’s legs shook as he took in his old friend.

Steve twitched and sat up, pulling a redhead and a brunette up with him. The brunette’s head was tucked into Steve’s shoulder but the redhead, who revealed herself to be Natasha, looked over Steve’s shoulder to see the team gawking at them. She whispered something into Steve’s ear and he turned his body so he could look at the team. Relief filled his face and he slumped forwards, holding Natasha and Tony Stark to his chest.

“We made it.” Steve didn’t look like he was fully with it, his eyes a little glassy but Clint and Bucky didn’t care. They made their way to the trio, still in a state of shock, and threw their arms around them despite the protests from the others.

Clint was clinging to Natasha, rocking her back and forth with tears streaming down his cheeks and she was clinging to him too. She asked if they got everyone from the snap only to respond with a thank god when Clint nodded into her hair.

Bucky kept a small distance between himself and Steve, in fact, it was Sam who hugged Steve first but Bucky was too busy looking at him in shock. After Rhodey walked up to Steve so he could hold an unconscious Tony to his chest, Steve pulled Bucky to him.

“How long? How long was I gone?” Steve was in Bucky’s arms, exhausted and his eyes drooping.

“Over a year, Stevie.” Bucky looked at Sam who was holding Steve’s hand and not letting go, worry reflecting in both of their eyes.

“I tried to be as quick as I could. It was easy giving the stones back, it was easy getting Nat back but it was hard to get Tony and Loki back from Death- she can be really mean.”

“Loki? Steve, Loki isn’t here.” Sam’s furrow deepened as he talked to Steve.

“I know but he had things to do, places to go before he could see Thor again. He should arrive soon.” Steve promptly passed out in Bucky’s arms.

“Alright people!” Bruce clapped his hands together. “Let’s get these three to the medical bay.”

Tony was unconscious due to being dead for so long and the travel had weakened him. He was slowly becoming stronger but it would take time. It didn’t matter to the Avengers or to Pepper and Morgan, because at least they had him home again and they knew that soon he would wake up and be Tony again.

Natasha was fine. As soon as Steve had started bringing the stones back to their correct timeline, she woke up and as soon as Steve arrived in Vorimir he made his way too her all the while swearing at Red Skull. She stayed in Clint’s arms for a long time though, the shadow of death still with her.

Steve was quiet, obviously, he had seen more than he let on but kept quiet nonetheless. His eyes were haunted, bags gathered under his eyes due to the nights he couldn’t sleep and he found himself staring into space more often than not. 

Even Natasha and Tony were happier and more talkative than him. Natasha started training again, paying special attention to getting Peter trained to the best she possibly could after hearing his identity had been revealed. Tony kept to the compound and his family, no longer being Iron Man but keeping up with his works in the lab. 

Steve tried to put on a happy face, he always had, but there was something so lonely about him. He would turn away from peoples touch, keeping to himself and it broke Bucky’s heart when his best friend flinched away from him.

It was one night where Bucky was curled up next to Clint, they were talking and everything and nothing at all, just enjoying the presence of each other when there was a huge bang on their bedroom door. It startled Bucky so much so that he jumped and knocked his head against Clint’s. They both groaned and sat up against the headboard of their bed.

“Come in!”

It was Steve who opened the door, he looked bone-weary and his beard was all over the place, just like his hair. Bucky frowned at Steve, who looked so tired he could cry before he patted the bed for Steve to sit.

When Steve sat down, all he could do was stare at his hands that were folded in his lap. Steve tried to speak, he really did but no words escaped him. Clint pushed Bucky to the side to create room so he could drag Steve between them. 

Clint laid down, pulling Steve down with him and crooking a finger at Bucky so he followed suit. Steve curled into Clint’s slightly larger frame, his arms wrapping tightly around Clint’s torso even though they trembled whilst doing so. His breathing was shaky, it even stuttered when Bucky pressed his forehead between Steve’s shoulder blades.

“Oh, Steve.” Clint ran his fingers through Steve’s long hair to try and comfort him in some way but he found that showing Steve such attention and love, made him cry. 

“It’s okay, Stevie, it’s okay.” Bucky kissed between Steve’s shoulder blades, being gentle, not wanting to push Steve too far. 

Bucky was surprised when Steve wrapped his hand around Bucky’s that was laying carefully on his hip. Both Bucky and Clint curled around Steve until he fell asleep, Bucky followed shortly after with dreams no longer plagued with time travel and being lost. Clint took a while to fall asleep, even after he took his hearing aids out, enjoying how Steve felt in his arms and how peaceful Bucky looked tucked up behind him.


End file.
